Know why these next three days of player-picking will be fun? Because the Patriots need guys at fun spots.
Would you rather talk defensive tackle, inside linebacker and slot corner? Or wide receiver, running back, tight end and left tackle? Iāll take the latter. And the Patriots might be taking players at all those spots with their nine picks.
It will be fascinating because now, truly, the Patriots are being re-made with a different vision from Bill Belichickās.
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SIGN UP HERE Mike Vrabelās tenure has so far shown a new-broom-sweeps-clean mindset. That didnāt exist last year when the Jerod Mayo-Eliot Wolf tandem tried to keep one foot in the past and another in the future. They re-signed and extended players who were part of a spiraling roster and drafted horribly aside from Drake Maye.
As we pointed out the other day, the Patriots are a team without a core. Coreless. Sans core. Aside from Maye, Christian Gonzalez and the newly-signed Milton Williams, every other young player of consequence is a developing situation. And the other free agents theyāve brought in are spackle, not drywall.
Core. Pieces. Need four or more from this draft.
A couple of other thoughts to whet your appetite:
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Drafts are like snowflakes!
Thereās been a lot of hand-wringing and caterwauling about the Patriots having to settle for a less-than-perfect prospect at No. 4.
If youāre drafting that high, youāve earned the right to get a premium, no-warts prospect. That seems to be the claim.
Well, tough gazorks. Every year isnāt like 2024, when you have a top 10 that includes two elite tackles (Joe Alt, JC Latham), three elite wideouts (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze) and a crap-ton of quarterbacks.
The best tight end to come out in years, Brock Bowers, went 13th! There wasnāt a defensive player taken in the top 15!
Seriously, of the guys who go in the top 10 tonight, how many would have been top-10 players if they were in last yearās draft? One? Two? Maybe zero?
So, Patriots fans, you canāt just look at Will Campbellās less-than-ideal arm length and keep muttering to yourself that the team should be getting a perfect prospect that high. You cannot. Not this year.
At the āpremium positionā of left tackle, the feeling in Foxboro seems to be Campbell is the best player in the draft. Best player available and position of need match up.
Honestly, Iāve probably been wheel-spinning with my Tyler Warren infatuation (even though I can easily make the case for taking him there). Campbellās been almost inevitable since Ronnie Stanley re-signed with the Ravens.
Everyone isn't Scar
Earlier this offseason, Phil Perry watched film with the legendary Dante Scarnecchia. One eye-opening opinion Dante shared was that -- up at the top of the draft -- youād prefer to take guys who score touchdowns or sack quarterbacks. Offensive linemen can be had a little later.
Iām not about to disagree with one of the gameās greatest coaches.
But I will point out that Scar is a guy who could take someone like Stephen Neal, who had practically never played, and turn him into one of the best guards in the league! Or take a human eclipse like Trent Brown, who went in the seventh round because he was only seen as a right tackle, and turn him into a guy who signed the richest offensive line contract in NFL history.
Not everybody is Dante Scarnecchia and can turn loaves into fishes. Without him, the Patriots have to buy premium products.